Shattered Souls
by Ann Red
Summary: After Sirius' death, Remus becomes a totally different person and then quits the Order. Who is Remus Lupin? And what can Harry do about it?


Title: Shattered Souls Author: Ann Red Summary: After the death of Sirius Black, Remus Lupin became a totally different person and then quits the Order. Dumbledore's afraid Remus might return to what he was before. Who is Remus Lupin? And what can Harry do about it?  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any Harry Potter characters, they belong to this genius called JK Rowling. Lucky bloke. Anything you find unfamiliar or downright bizarre belongs to me. Of course, that's including the plot.  
  
Chapter 1: The Aftermath  
  
"He's gone!"  
  
Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody swung the heavy wooden door to Dumbledore's office as he cried the news. Moody was an old man but still strong enough to take on people twice his size. His face, jarred with angry scars, was set in a tight grim look. He had a sinister-looking magical eye that rotates rapidly and can see through almost all solid objects. Mad-Eye had hastily left the headquarters to go to Hogwarts, and to tell his friend, the current headmaster of Hogwarts about the unlikely news.  
  
The headmaster was in the middle of writing a letter to the Minister of Magic. Albus Dumbledore looked up at once.  
  
"What is it, Alastor?" he asked urgently, taking in the look his friend was giving him.  
  
"He's gone!" Moody repeated, collapsing on a nearby chair.  
  
"Who-" Dumbledore began but Moody overrode him.  
  
"Remus.Remus Lupin." Moody answered darkly, his breathing was still hard. Dumbledore's blue-eyes narrowed a bit.  
  
"He was staying at Grimmauld's Place but started acting strangely.well, stranger than usual. With his never fading smile and pleasant attitude," Moody said grimly, "I don't think he'd gotten over Black's death that easily.or rather that quickly." "Wasn't he somewhere in Italy last week?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
"Yes, I assigned him to go and check on the situation there." Moody said, "When he got back, after three days, he just vanished."  
  
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows.  
  
"Tonks went to check his bedroom this morning," the ex-Auror continued, "He wasn't there. Left all his belongings too. "  
  
Dumbledore stood up and started pacing his study. A few minutes of silence, then-  
  
"Lombard's Castle." Dumbledore murmured to himself.  
  
"Lombard's Castle?" Moody asked as his grip on the armchair tightened. "Then that would mean he's-"  
  
"Yes, I'm afraid so." Dumbledore halted and faced his friend, the headmaster's voice turned suddenly cold.  
  
"Remus had gone back to serve Lord Siegfried."  
  
Harry Potter is alone was again. He stared at the blank wall of his bedroom, waiting for his only relative to return from their shopping extravaganza. He wanted to sleep but wasn't able to. The truth is he hadn't been sleeping well these past few days.or maybe weeks.  
  
In his dreams, if that's what you still call them, they are everywhere. The voices.  
  
'If I hadn't gone to the Department of Mysteries that night, Sirius would still be alive."  
  
'If I hadn't been so stupid to fall into Voldemort's trap.Sirius would still be writing to me.'  
  
'If I had only taken that occlumency lessons seriously, he might be still stuck in Grimmauld's Place.unhappy but more or less, safe.'  
  
If.  
  
If.  
  
If.  
  
Such words have no sense anymore. All that gave me strength was Sirius.  
  
Now, he's gone.  
  
Harry suddenly got up and started pacing around his small room. He didn't want to cry anymore. His tears won't bring back the life of his beloved godfather.  
  
'Voldemort'  
  
The name rang into his head.  
  
'I'm suppose to kill him.' he thought grimly.  
  
Now that he think of it.Voldemort ruined his life.and everyone else's for that matter. Why is he hesitating to kill? To take the life of someone who had mercilessly torn every family's life apart?  
  
Besides, he was chosen, wasn't he?  
  
Almost all witches and wizards would want Voldemort dead, but they could not because he was the one prophesized.  
  
'The Prophecy and Voldemort must have seen something in me.' Harry pondered.  
  
'Either must die at the hand of the other for meither can live while the other survives.'  
  
Voldemort must be planning something-lethal-for me this year. Harry couldn't help thinking.Who's going to die this year?  
  
Harry could not take it-his friends, his useless relatives, his teachers, the whole muggle and wizarding community and even the greatest wizard of the century, Albus Dumbledore is relying on him! Him? A skinny, moody and right now, depressed 16 year old teenager!  
  
Harry couldn't help but snort in the darkness, waking Hedwig up.  
  
"Sorry, Hedwig." He gave the owl an apologetic smile.  
  
"Why me?" He had asked this question a thousand times.  
  
'I guess only Voldemort knows, maybe I'll ask him to answer that as my final request when we finally square off?'  
  
"I will fight."  
  
His own thoughts startled him.  
  
"I will fight for those who couldn't."  
  
"I am their last hope."  
  
"I will not die." Harry heard himself say.  
  
Ann Red: Tis the best I can do for now.Hope the next chap's a lot better! See ya soon and happy holidays! =p 


End file.
